Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a heating/cooling module with a stacked disc design, with a condenser region, with an evaporator region, and with at least one fluid distribution region, whereby the condenser region has a first flow section, through which a refrigerant can flow, and has a second flow section, through which a coolant can flow, and the evaporator region has a third flow section, through which a refrigerant can flow, and has a fourth flow section, through which a coolant can flow, whereby the flow sections are formed by a plurality of flow channels, which are made between the individual disc elements, forming the heating/cooling module, whereby a first fluid inlet and a first fluid outlet are provided, via which a coolant can flow through the evaporator region, and second inlet and a second outlet are provided, via which a coolant can flow through the condenser region, and a third inlet and a third outlet are provided, via which a refrigerant can flow through the heating/cooling module.
Description of the Background Art
Evaporators are routinely used in motor vehicles to cool the interior space. Furthermore, condensers are used which release the heat to the external air. Other components are routinely added to the refrigerant circuits in order to realize further functionalities. This occurs, for example, to enable heating of the interior space or to cool additionally installed batteries. This is increasingly the case particularly in electrically operated vehicles in order to operate the batteries, necessary for driving, within an optimal temperature window.
Because of these additional components, the refrigerant circuits become very complex and error-prone. There is the risk, furthermore, of an unintentional refrigerant migration in idle regions of the refrigerant circuit. Idle regions are, for example, regions with no throughflow at times. Switching valves are needed for the control and regulation of these circuits; these valves entail an increased installation effort and furthermore likewise increase the susceptibility to errors.
In an alternative design, the refrigerant circuit can be connected to a warm and a cold water-Glysantin circuit. In this case, the heat can be coupled out arbitrarily via air-water heat exchangers. At least one so-called chiller and a condenser are needed for providing the warmer and cooler water. A chiller is used in this case particularly for cooling a medium flowing around the chiller. In the simplest case, a circuit produced in this way therefore can comprise a chiller, a condenser, a thermostatic expansion valve (TXV), and a compressor. In addition, a collector can be provided for equalizing fluid fluctuations. A water-side subcooler or an internal heat exchanger can also be provided to bring about improvement in the efficiency.
It is disadvantageous in solutions known in the prior art that the plurality of employed elements bring about a high space requirement. Furthermore, a plurality of connecting lines must be provided in order to connect the individual elements to one another. These connections increase the assembly effort and represent an additional source of error. It is disadvantageous, furthermore, that no internal heat exchangers or chillers are integrated in solutions known thus far, which are formed by a combination of a plurality of heat exchanger elements in one structural unit.